Scaling up: The case of fodder shrubs in western Kenya

Hellen Arimi, Dissemination facilitator

• Scaling up:“Bringing more benefits to more people over a wider geographical area more quickly, more equitably, and more lastingly

Our Approach to Scaling up

• “Horizontal” and “Vertical” scaling up

• Pilot development programs

• Hiring extension facilitators

• Research on the scaling up process e.g Central Kenya Farmer to Farmer dissemination

Main elements of our approach: participatory technology development

and dissemination1 Partnerships with farmers and other stakeholders in design,

implementation, and evaluation

2.      Farmer empowerment/capacity building/ownership 3.      Work with groups as well as individuals 4.      Joint learning: partners share results

5. Developing options with farmers, not “miracle trees”

6. Distilling out lessons across sites

Lessons: Key lesson no.1: Farmer innovations and their ‘capture’ by change agents is a key factor in

promoting agroforestry adoption

• Use of “farmer-designed trials” critical

• Growing Calliandra seedling using banana stems in dry season

Key lesson no. 2: Transfer of technology model not appropriate for scaling up

• Scaling up involves A LOT more than simply transferring seed and information to new areas.

• Rather, scaling up involves:

• Building up partnerships with a range of stakeholders.

• Ensuring farmers’ interest in and appropriateness of practice

• Assisting the community to effectively mobilize both local and external resources

• Encouraging active participation of communities in dissemination, testing, monitoring and evaluation.

• Enabling policies and institutions

Western Kenya

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ðOchinga (KEFRI/ICRAF)

Nyamninia (NYAMSAC)

Katuk Odeyo

Pap Onditi

Mayenje (REFSO)

Bulindo (KARI)

Ebukhaya Catchment (Ministry of Agriculture)

Tatro (Tatro Farmers Grp)

NYAMIRA

BUNGOMA

TESO

NANDI

KAKAMEGA

BUTERE/MUMIAS

SIAYA

BONDOKISUMU

RACHUONYO

NYANDO

KERICHO

BURETNYAMIRAHOMA BAYSUBA

Nyamasare (Africa Now)

WESTERNWESTERN

NYANZANYANZA

RIFT VALLEYRIFT VALLEYBUSIA

LUGARI

MT ELGON

Lake Victoria

District boundaryLakesProvincial boundary

ð Sites (Not georeferenced)ð Sites (Geo-referenced)

10 0 10 Kilometers

LOCATION OF PROJECT SITES

LEGEND

Western Kenya

Highlands of Western Kenya• Population: 8-10 Million

• Area: 85000sq.km(15% of total – Kenya)

• Land pressure: 500-1200 people/sq.km

• Farm size:0.5-2ha

Rainfall and Temperatures

• 1500-2300mm/year

• Bi-modal: Long rains -March to June and Short rains- September to November

• Average Temp. 15oc- 29oc

Some major problems for farmers

• Inadequate quality and quantity of animal feeds

• Soil are very poor in terms of Nitrogen and phosphorus

• Weak linkages

Farming systems

• Mainly subsistence with maize being the major crop

• Other crops: Beans, G/Nuts,

• Some areas: Sugar cane as a cash crop

Livestock

• Majority: Local (Zebu) cattle, sheep and goats

• Few: Improved or pure breeds

• High demand for milk• Dairy cattle and goats

are an important means to improve livelihoods

Fodder tree dissemination

To introduce and diversify the growing and utilization of fodder shrubs as protein supplement in Western Kenya

• Fodder tree species:

Calliandra calothyrsus, Leuceana trichandra and Mulberry

Planting niches

• Along the boundaries• Along soil

conservation structures

• Intercropped with napier grass

• Rarely grown as fodder bank!

Approaches and strategies:

• Focus: Farmer groups and concentration areas

• Emphasis: Participatory approaches

• Sensitization & awareness creation

• Developed strategic partnerships especially with

dairy projects

• Capacity building and empowerment

• Deliberate efforts to commercialize production and

distribution of planting materials

• Promoting genetic diversity:

• We encourage farmers to have 30 seed trees per farm

but difficult to achieve on small farms!

Projects/NGOs KEFRIICRAF

Small DairyFarmers

Projects/NGOs

Small DairyFarmers

Small Seed Producers

Seed Dealers

Linking farmers to buyers: Market Chain for calliandra seed

Dairy firmsDairy societiesSeed stockists

Small Seed Producers

Existing PartnershipsExisting Partnerships

 COSOFAP (Consortium for scaling up options for increasing farm productivity) Consists of 67 partners within 3 sub-regions

Objective: To create forums for sharing information and exchanging experiences among stakeholders for improving farm productivity and livelihoods

(i) Governmental organization in Research and development

(ii) Non-governmental organisations (iii) Community Based Organisations

Participating farmers and groups in fodder tree promotion

Farmergroups

Men Women Other Partners

48 522 548 8

Factors leading to success

• Livestock improvement programmes by different partners- Partnerships

• High demand for fodder tree technology by up-coming groups and partners

• High demand for milk• Dissemination approach• Land pressure- Change in farming system• Exchange visits• Other uses of fodder trees

Problems and constraints

• Culture

• Livestock types

• Narrow range of alternative fodder species

• Erratic rains- Prolonged drought

• Germplasm

Challenge ahead

• Expanding the lessons to more groups

• How to ensure wide scale seed production and supply

• Diversifying options on nutritive fodder species (Exotic and Indigenous)

• Enhancing the capacity of partners to take lead in the scaling up process

• Farmers to farmer dissemination

Way forward

• Increased exchange visits

• Improve networking

• Improve monitoring and evaluation

techniques

• Improve germplasm production and supply

mechanisms

• Incorporate other AF technologies

• Promote involvement of more farmer groups

• Increase alternative fodder species options

Key research challenges in scaling up

• What are most effective approaches, methods and tools? – Who disseminates in a community and how can these

people be supported? – How can farmer groups be facilitated as dissemination

agents? • How can participatory, bottom-up processes be

maintained? • How can we improve the effectiveness of our

partnerships while reducing transaction costs?• Exit strategy: How can facilitators devolve scaling up

functions to local communities. • Can scaling up processes be adapted from one

region to another?